"If [other historic towns] have parking facilities or are recognized for having easy parking, that same weekender or day-tripper may choose to go elsewhere," Bonacci said.
In the meantime, Naftal is trying to find creative ways to deal with the parking crunch.
At Jordan's, Naftal hired a limousine service for Valentine's Day to shuttle diners back to their cars so they would not be discouraged by having to park far away. He said the restaurant is considering offering that service regularly.
"It would encourage them to come back, knowing that they would get a ride to their car," he said.
Naftal estimates that his restaurant business would improve at least 30 percent if parking was more accessible, based on the number of complaints and cancellations because customers cannot find parking.
He said customers will call the restaurant and say: "We have a 6:30 reservation; it's now 7 o'clock. We've been driving up and down Main Street looking for a parking spot."
"Then they just go home," Naftal said.
Of course, they always could park illegally.
Sun staff writer Larry Carson contributed to this article.
